Yeddyurappa stakes claim, Cong tells Guv ‘save the Constitution’

New Delhi: The BJP’s Chief Ministerial face, BS Yeddyurappa, on Wednesday staked claim to form the new government in Karnataka.

“We have staked claim to form the government as the single largest party with 104 newly elected legislators,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here after meeting Governor Vajubhai R. Vala at Raj Bhavan.Earlier in the day, the new Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers unanimously elected Yeddyurappa as their legislative party leader.“I have requested the Governor to allow me to take oath as the Chief Minister at the earliest and the Governor said he would take an appropriate decision soon,” Yeddyurappa said.Meanwhile, JD(S) MLAs Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda went missing from the JD(S) legislative partymeeting, which was held in a hotel in Bengaluru.

Senior Karnataka BJP leader KS Eshwarappa said their party was in touch with some Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs as they hope to stitch together a majority to form the government in the state.